Another bold step on Melbourne's arts stage

December 10, 2004 — 11.00am

Melbourne's rush to shed its demure image as a grand Victorian city and replace it with the fragmented state-of-the-art structures of the 21st century is gaining pace with the latest project in Southbank.

The $91 million project combines two buildings - one providing a new home for the Melbourne Theatre Company and the other housing the city's first purpose-built recital hall for acoustic music. They will be built on a car park opposite the ABC headquarters.

The complex has been designed by Ashton Raggatt McDougall, the Melbourne firm behind RMIT's Storey Hall and Canberra's controversial National Museum of Australia.

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The project, which is likely to prompt public debate, includes visual references to the Arts Centre spire and Federation Square. It will complete the arts precinct, linking the redeveloped National Gallery of Victoria to the rust-red new home of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, next to the Malthouse.

The State Government is expected to announce the go-ahead for the project in February.

One of the Federation Square designers, Peter Davidson, said from London yesterday that Melburnians should not be afraid of contemporary architecture.

He is speaking from experience. Despite years of controversy over the square's design, it has now been embraced by the public and won a swag of awards. It had also put Melbourne on the world map, Mr Davidson said.

"It has earned the position internationally as one of the most interesting pieces of architecture anywhere," he said.

It has also brought Mr Davidson and his company, Lab Architecture Studio, international success. He is working on six projects in China and has just won a contract to design the new Bristol museum in England.

The MTC's artistic director, Simon Phillips, said the new Southbank building would provide "a wonderful beacon" for the company.

"We have been seeking a recognisable home for the company for nearly 15 years," he said.

The building, which is expected to be ready for the 2008 season, will house a 500-seat theatre and a 150-seat rehearsal space where more exploratory works could also be performed.

There will also be a restaurant and bar. "We hope we can make the precinct more vibrant at both the beginning and end of the day," Mr Phillips said.

Arts Minister Mary Delahunty said the recital hall was designed to meet the highest international standards set by London's Wigmore Hall and New York's Lincoln Centre.

The push for a recital hall began under the Hamer government 25 years ago but the new building will reflect the modern emphasis on entertainment.

As well as a cafe bar, it will include the 1000-seat Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and a 150-seat salon for recording and pre-concert talks.

Ms Delahunty said a panel including the former director of Wigmore Hall, William Lyne, and retired acoustic expert Harold Marshall would ensure that the highest standards were met, both in the hall and backstage.

"We want to provide the equivalent of a Steinway Grand for the top performers," she said.

When the project was announced in 2002, the Government estimated it would cost $61 million. Ms Delahunty stressed there had been no blow-out because funding had been provided to cover the increased costs as they were forecast.

"The project has grown and developed to meet the highest benchmarks," she said.